A lot of ink has been spilled over the biotechnology debate. The basic arguments haven't changed much in 20 years: Recombinant DNA technology is unproved and risky, or it's saving lives and the environment. The controversy rages on, as passionate and polarized as ever. The more interesting and dynamic part of this discussion is its subtext: the interrelationship between science, nature and society.

"Nature's Operating Instructions: The True Biotechnologies" dives right into that issue and unabashedly declares that science today is stuck in the industrial paradigm. This compelling collection of essays eloquently lays out an array of imaginative and practical solutions for some of the most perplexing environmental challenges of our time. The book both captures the spirit of Rachel Carson's "Sense of Wonder" and calls for a new, engaged, ecological vision for technology. It suggests sustainable solutions for how we feed ourselves and for environmental restoration that are both grounded in solid science and deeply respectful of the natural world. As contributor John Todd put it, this work weds "human ingenuity with the wisdom of the wild."

The fascinating complexity and innate intelligence of the natural world shines through all five sections of the book, which cover a wide range of topics, from the art of using nature to heal nature, indigenous science, the perils of genetic engineering, the economics of ecological design and natural capitalism, to storytelling in the service of cultural and biological survival. Where else can you read about soft energy paths, plant sex, African spirituality and political consciousness all in one slim volume?

What is most remarkable about these ideas is that they are so immensely practical. When Andy Lipkis suggests that the city of Los Angeles could capture the rainwater it now throws away, and reduce its dependence on imported water, suddenly the idea seems so obvious. Similarly, wastewater treatment plants work more efficiently when they imitate living systems, and retrofitting urban architecture and transportation can reduce the use of fossil fuels. Coating chain-saw blades with fungus spores hastens the regeneration of forests, and while the antibacterial properties of mushrooms have been known for thousands of years, it took the genius of Paul Stamets to figure out how to put them to work digesting toxic pollution.

Still, it's surprising to find out that there are grasses that gobble up heavy metals or that cows can be used to reclaim mining wastes. Or that a biochemist named Randall von Wedel brewed a special bacterial smoothie in a blender and used it to clean up old gas station sites and truck terminals. And some day soon, the brilliant Wes Jackson, who has been out in the Midwest "thinking like a prairie," will succeed in perennializing our food crops and restoring the natural fertility of the nation's soil.

The sheer breadth and audacity of some of these ideas make for fascinating reading, while others are essential reminders about what must be saved, like heirloom seeds, such as Malcolm Margolin and Dennis Martinez's essays on the need to preserve what remains of traditional medicinal plant knowledge and indigenous land conservation practices in North America.

Janine Benyus, the lead contributor, has a flair for using the most telling and dramatic details to illustrate her points. She doesn't just say that nature can be relied on to spell out "a pattern language for survival." She describes how the humble garden snail can instantly spurt out a "highway of slime with a lubricant than can absorb 1,500 times its weight in water," which gets it across hazards unharmed. Her lucid book "Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature," published in 1997, made her one of the first to describe these eco-friendly design ideas. She and other contributors claim that these are the "true" biotechnologies, while genetic engineering is a more limited industrial technique fixated on patentable products.

The book's content comes from speeches given at the Bioneers Conference, held each October in the Bay Area. While the enthusiastic tone of these presentations is understandable in that context, it does mean that the arguments are less tightly reasoned and the language of the book suffers occasionally from the assumption that it is addressing a friendly audience. Readers who are unfamiliar with Bioneers, which means "biological pioneers," may understandably wince at the occasional lapse into hyperbole.

"Nature's Operating Instructions" will appeal to anyone interested in an engaging mix of great storytelling, nature's wisdom, spirituality and commonsense solutions to complex problems. It probably won't resolve the debate about biotechnology, but it should inspire a more nuanced discussion. The book's real contribution, though, is in articulating a persuasive vision for how science and technology can serve both the public interest and the natural world.